The Periodic Kingdom by P. W. Atkins The periodic table of elements is treated as a geographical place, (Apparently this book is not illustrated, so I won't be buying it)

Camelot Chemistry Primer (from Shekinah Curriculum Cellar) is a work/text for chemistry. It is literary and fun, but includes the mathematical chemistry that a serious science student needs. Out of print - I have not previewed.

The Disappearing Spoon - Age 13-AdultNapoleon's Buttons - Age 14-AdultMarvels of the Molecule by Lionel Salem Age 14-AdultUncle Tungsten by Oliver Sachs- Age 14-Adult (Some editing might be needed))The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments by Robert Bruce Thompson - Age 12-AdultCartoon Guide to Chemistry -- by Larry GonickThat's the Way the Cookie Crumbles and Genie in a Bottle -- by Dr. Joe SchwarczOn Food and Cooking -- by Harold McGee ( a massive, incredibly comprehensive book)

MORE Video Resources

World of Chemistry

A video instructional series for college and high school classrooms and adult learners; 26 half-hour video programs and coordinated booksJoin with experts to observe chemistry in action and learn the laws and principles of this dynamic field. Computer technology and special effects place students in a front-row seat to observe many processes, even those that are too dangerous or impractical to experience directly. Working industrial and research chemists of all backgrounds serve as role models.

The World of Chemistry is appropriate for students taking high school or college chemistry, from introductory to advanced levels, and is easily applicable to different teaching approaches. It includes physics and Earth science components, and is also valuable for teachers seeking to review the subject matter. This series supports nationally recognized science standards NSTA and NCSESA.

1. The World of Chemistry The relationships of chemistry to the other sciences and to everyday life are presented. 2. Color The search for new colors in the mid 1800s boosted the development of modern chemistry. 3. Measurement: The Foundation of Chemistry The distinction between accuracy and precision and its importance in commerce and science are explained. 4. Modeling the Unseen Models are used to explain phenomena that are beyond the realm of ordinary perception. 5. A Matter of State Matter is examined in its three principal states — gases, liquids, and solids — relating the visible world to the submicroscopic. 6. The Atom Viewers journey inside the atom to appreciate its architectural beauty and grasp how atomic structure determines chemical behavior. 7. The Periodic Table The development and arrangement of the periodic table of elements is examined. 8. Chemical Bonds The differences between ionic and covalent bonds are explained by the use of scientific models and examples from nature. 9. Molecular Architecture The program examines isomers and how the electronic structure of a molecule's elements and bonds affects its shape and physical properties. 10. Signals From Within Chemists' knowledge of the interaction of radiation and matter is the basis for analytical methods of sensitivity and specificity. 11. The Mole Using Avogadro's law, the mass of a substance can be related to the number of particles contained in that mass. 12. Water The special chemical properties of water are explored, along with the need for its protection and conservation.

13. The Driving Forces Endothermic and exothermic reactions are investigated and the role of entropy is revealed. 14. Molecules in Action Observing molecules during chemical reactions helps explain the role of catalysts. Dynamic equilibrium is also demonstrated.

15. The Busy Electron The principles of electrochemical cell design are explained through batteries, sensors, and a solar-powered car.

17. The Precious Envelope The earth's atmosphere is examined through theories of chemical evolution; ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect are explained. 18. The Chemistry of the Earth Silicon, a cornerstone of the high-tech industry, is one of the elements of the Earth highlighted in this program. 19. Metals Malleability, ductility, and conductivity are examined, along with methods for extracting metals from ores and blending alloys.

20. On the Surface Surface science examines how surfaces react with each other at the molecular level.

21. Carbon The versatility of carbon's molecular structures and the enormous range of properties of its compounds are presented.

22. The Age of Polymers How chemists control the molecular structure to create polymers with special properties is explored.

Reactions in Chemistry

is an eight-part workshop for the professional development of high school chemistry and physical science teachers. The workshop blends chemistry content, history, and technological applications with a range of classroom lessons to provide teachers with updated knowledge and new approaches to pedagogy. Teachers will see diverse classes doing hands-on lessons and labs and will hear teachers reflect on their own practices. The on-camera teachers meet in roundtable discussions about teaching strategies and the particular challenges of helping students connect the content to their own lives. The programs also present the work of industrial and forensic chemists and researchers. Related ResourcesSee allThe World of ChemistryTeaching High School Science

Workshop 1. Atoms and Molecules This program deals with teaching the very first steps of chemistry. It introduces the basic building blocks — the atoms — which, through their properties, periodicity and binding, form molecules. The program offers different ways to represent these basic concepts by creating useful models in the minds of new chemistry students. It follows the development of these concepts through history and their use in modern technology. Go to this unit.Workshop 2. Macro to Micro Structures This program deals with the conceptualization of micro processes and environments. It involves teaching chemistry through macro phenomena, which can be observed, and micro processes, which occur on the molecular level, and can only be imagined. Conceptual change must occur in order for students to understand chemical phenomena. Teaching for conceptual change poses a great challenge to teachers, because they must create imaginary and physical models in order to help students visualize microenvironments and processes that occur within them. Go to this unit.Workshop 3. Energetics and Dynamics This program emphasizes the importance of learning about energetics and dynamics in order to improve students’ understanding of basic principles of chemistry. The complexity of teaching concepts such as the collisions theory, reaction kinetics, and electronic energy levels is introduced using a variety of teaching strategies. These concepts are related to everyday phenomena through topics such as nuclear and solar energy, which are brought about as examples for nuclear chemistry. Go to this unit.Workshop 4. Theory and Practice in Chemical Systems This program shows how a theoretical understanding of the driving force for chemical systems can lead to further development of new technologies and to the discovery of new phenomena, in practice. In teaching, this is done through the creation of a close relationship between the science and mathematics of chemical processes, through problem-solving activities. These activities, which are based on a systematic interpretation of chemistry into mathematics, make the connection between theory and practice. These basic skills form the foundation for learning about chemical systems. Go to this unit.

Workshop 5. Chemical Design This program deals with basic concepts that are required for the understanding of chemical design. The idea is brought about by experiences from everyday life, such as the stoichiometry of baking, the ingredients of soft drinks, the components of drugs, and the chromatography of markers. The tools of the chemical designer — the chemist — are found in the laboratory, and the procedure which leads to the development of new materials is based on scientific investigation. These tools are applied to chemistry teaching in the classroom and to the facilitating of laboratory learning. Go to this unit.

Workshop 6. The Chemistry of Life This program discusses the chemistry of the wonders of life. It starts off with the way life began, and goes on to deal with the structure and function of biological molecules. It emphasizes the value of relating chemical principles to biology studies, and states that living organisms are huge chemical systems in equilibrium. Thus, learning processes are based on the chemistry of life, and this program shows how effective classroom strategies aim at enhanced learning. Go to this unit.

Workshop 7. Chemistry and the Environment This program introduces the chemistry of the environment. It addresses selected topics such as water quality and purification, recycling, and the hole in the ozone layer. Bringing the students to awareness of these topics helps them understand important issues in the world around them. In studying chemistry, environmental studies or anything else, the classroom climate is an important issue as well, and the teacher can influence it a great deal. Go to this unit.

Workshop 8. Chemistry at the Interface In the last program, cutting–edge technologies are presented, where chemistry is at the interface with other disciplines: tissue engineering, deciphering of the human genome, and agricultural resources for new materials. The future of technology is incorporated into the chemistry classroom, motivating the students with exciting real–world applications and contributing to teaching. The workshop ends with a discussion: What is quality in teaching and how does it influence chemistry students and teachers? Go to this unit.

The Visionlearning website, which contains a series of modules, is loosely comparable to textbook chapters, focused on specific STEM concepts. Each module has been written by a professional educator or scientist and peer-reviewed for accuracy. They are concise so that students and educators get the information they need quickly, and include features to aid in reading comprehension and knowledge retention. Modules include:Biology 20 modulesChemistry 13 modulesEarth Science 14 modulesGeneral Science 4 modulesInside Science 8 modulesMath in Science 3 modulesPhysics 6 modulesProcess of Science 21 modulesInteractive Animations

PowerPoint presentations designed by students are a great alternative to written reports. This Worddocument has written instructions for producing a presentation and this is a scoring rubric for the presentation.

Chemistry Documentaries and Study Sheets

Atoms Familyat Sciencespot.net Introduce the basics of atomic structure. The members of the Atoms Family correspond to protons, neutrons, and electrons to help students remember their charges and locations in an atom. In addition, students learn the basics of electron configuration with a tour of Matterville. At the end of the lesson, students sing the Atoms Family song to the tune of the Adams Family.

Virtual Chemistry and Simulations Chemistry moves from the lab and the classroom to the computer, as working in a virtual chemistry laboratory and viewing simulations provide additional ways of learning chemistry.

PhET Interactive Simulations PhET, based at the University of Colorado at Boulder, offers a wide range of interactive simulations in all sciences, with over three dozen chemistry-based simulations. The site states the simulations are extensively tested and evaluated.MERLOT Simulation Collection The Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) at the California State University has collected descriptions and links to a huge number of simulations, with peer review ratings and comments, and information on their appropriateness for various levels.Molecular Workbench The Molecular Workbench offers simulations in multiple sciences, along with the tools for both teachers and students to create their own simulations.Chemistry Experiment Simulations and Conceptual Computer Animations Iowa State University’s Professor Tom Greenbowe shares many simulations and animations in ten major areas of chemistry, such as gas laws, stoichiometry, kinetics, and more.Virtual Chemistry Experiments Professor David N. Blauch from Davidson College presents several interactive experiment simulations on topics such as equilibrium, kinetics, crystal structure, phase changes, gases, and more.ChemCollective: Simulations Two of the simulations on the ChemCollective site, Periodic Table and Stoichiometry Applet, are labeled as appropriate for the high school level.ChemCollective: Virtual Labs The ChemCollective site contains many virtual labs, separated into seven categories: stoichiometry, thermochemistry, equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, solubility, redox/electrochemistry, and analytical chemistry/lab techniques. Each lab has an associated problem for students to solve in the virtual laboratory, described on a downloadable assignment sheet.

Electrolyte Solution Simulation A version of an electrolyte solution simulation from John Wiley and Sons is available at the General Chemistry Online! page. It allows the user to select different cations and anions. Data can be logged and downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet.

Mixed Reception This ChemCollective activity might be described as a murder mystery for chemistry students. Students can “interview” suspects by viewing videos, investigate the crime scene using images, and analyze evidence from the crime lab.

Simulations for Chemistry Professor Gary L. Bertrand’s (University of Missouri–Rolla) page offers many simulated experiments, such as “The Case of the Five Droppers,” a virtual presentation of five reagents being mixed in different ways to produce various precipitates and gas bubbles, and a coffee cup calorimeter activity.

Virtual Laboratory: Ideal Gas Law A virtual lab from the University of Oregon allows one to perform three experiments. The user controls the action of a piston in a pressure chamber filled with an ideal gas, illustrating relationships between temperature, volume, pressure, and molecular weight.

Free Online Curriculahttp://www.inquiryinaction.org/ -- Inquiry in Action book dowloadhttp://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/ -- ACS middle school chem downloadhttp://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/index.shtml -- general chemistry (we've played with the chemical equation interactive program, but nothing else)http://www.chalkbored.com/lessons/chemistry-11.htm -- high school level info. http://www.learner.org/resources/series61.html -- World of Chemistry -- Video On Demand Courses (high school and college)http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073656011/student_view0/ -- intended as a supplement for a textbook -- basic definitions and explanations

Periodic Charts and Elementshttp://www.ptable.com/ -- interactive periodic charthttp://www.jergym.hiedu.cz/~canovm/vyhledav/varianty/vatican.html -- periodic table in Latinhttp://atomicemporium.com/ -- another periodic charthttp://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/ -- comic book periodic charthttp://www.periodicvideos.com/# -- periodic videoshttp://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/applets/a2.html -- interactive elementshttp://www.privatehand.com/flash/elements.html -- elements songThe Periodic Kingdom -- by P.W. Atkins -- just got this from the library -- describes the periodic chart in terms of a journey across a kingdom -- so far, the writing is kind of stuffy and slow, but I think it will help to build a good mental picture of the periodic chartThe Periodic Table -- by Simon Basher